Started a thread on hats a while back, but it was for the summer months, what are your preferences for the winter/spring months when the temps dip into the single digits? Also what material do you prefer, poly, wool, down, or some hybrid? Do to use the same hat for sleeping or do you have a beenie for that purpose? Anyone use a balaclava too? They are what I like to use in very cold weather and/or if there is a nasty biting wind.

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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member:http://reconn.org

This is my cold weather hat. It's a cabelas something or other that I use for duck hunting, backpacking, etc when it's cold. It's fleece and goretex. I like to have a bill on a hat to help with the Sun, and ear coverage for the wind and extra warmth. As I'm afflicted by a bald patch, warmth up there is pretty important.

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I wear a beanie at night. Accelerates the warming process when i get into the bag and i don't have to zip up so much as body temp is in check then.

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For general use in cold weather I have a waxed cotton canvas full brimmed hat I like to wear. When the wind is blowing and for sleeping at night I carry a windstopper beanie from Mountain Hardware.

"On this proud and beautiful mountain we have lived hours of fraternal, warm and exalting nobility. Here for a few days we have ceased to be slaves and have really been men. It is hard to return to servitude."-- Lionel Terray

Two layers - one is a lightweight polyester balaclava - light long johns type fabric - that I wear a lot during the day partly rolled up as a light hat, and in bed rolled down enough to cover my eyes and block out the brightness of moonlight on the snow so I can sleep. the other is fleece, two layers of 200 wt, homemade and cut to cover ears and most of my neck. Looks goofy but man is it warm.

I've been using a down beanie by Blackrock Gear when it gets really cold and while sleeping. It's made with 900 f/p down, lightweight nylon for the shell and lining and a strip of flexible dryclyme on the lower few inches inside. It feels like a sleeping bag for my head (blackrockgear.com). Along with a Smartwool balaclava I'm good cowboy camping into October, weather permitting.

I like my North Face Windstopper High Point Hat for the cold. Thick, fits snuggly over my extra big noggin and does keep the wind out while breathing some. Covers the ears and the upper neck well. Has a string to tighten it up. Downside, it blocks sound pretty well too, so I have to pull up the ear flap when listening is critical. Probably too warm to sleep in. Looks dorky too.

I also carry a light running or biking beanie for sleeping in or when I am sweating a lot. I also use it on chilly days like today when I ride. It breaths well and washes well.

In winter conditions, I either use a heavy fleece beanie or a Fleece/goretex bomber hat that has earflaps that can velcro all the way under the chin or fold up over the top and it has a brim, which is important for me to keep snow off the glasses. I also always carry a lightweight silk balaclava that is super light and breathes well but does a surpringly good job of cutting the wind without overheating, been using that for about 25 yrs. Even in winter I find that if I am moving I am usually fine with my summer flap hat and sometimes with the silk under it, so I carry that too I sleep in a down hood that was meant to snap on a jacket - I prefer that to cinching the sleeping bag over my head; the down hood moves with my head so I never lose the breathing hole. I used to use a wool balaclava, but fleece does the job without itching and is lighter

The direction you are moving in is what matters, not the place you happen to be -Colin Fletcher

My brother has the Black rock down beanie and its very nice and comfy. I am going to get a Outdoor research Aria Beanie. Down quilted, super light and comes in sizes for people like me with huge noggins.By the way, now I have to re visit Humphries after seeing those photos!! Phil